---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Awkwardness is a more real disadvantage…"
description: "\"Awkwardness is a more real disadvantage than it is generally thought to be; it often occasions ridicule, it always lessens dignity.\" — Lord Chesterfield"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/lord-chesterfield-757_awkwardness_awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage_278435.jpg"
---

#  Awkwardness is a more real disadvantage than it is…

![“Awkwardness is a more real disadvantage than it is generally thought to be; it often occasions ridicule, it always lessens dignity.” quote by Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/lord-chesterfield-757_awkwardness_awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage_278435.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/lord-chesterfield-757_awkwardness_awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage_278435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/lord-chesterfield-757_awkwardness_awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage_278435.jpg)

> “Awkwardness is a more real disadvantage than it is generally thought to be; it often occasions ridicule, it always lessens dignity.”

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Awkwardness undermines dignity and invites ridicule, making it a serious social handicap.

**In simple terms:** Awkwardness harms dignity and invites mockery.

Key Takeaway

Improve social confidence.

Themes

social awkwardness dignity ridicule self-esteem

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

social self-help

When to use this quote

- public speaking
- networking events
- first dates
- job interviews

Key Concepts

social skills confidence building psychology of embarrassment

Questions to Reflect On

- How can one practice poise in uncomfortable settings?
- What strategies reduce the fear of ridicule?

A Different Perspective

Cultural differences affect what is seen as awkward.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Awkwardness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awkwardness/) [Awkwardness Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awkwardness-real-2705695/) [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Disadvantage Generally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disadvantage-generally-2705697/) [Disadvantages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disadvantages/) [Lessens Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessens-dignity-2705694/) [Occasions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasions/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule/) [Ridicule Lessens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule-lessens-2705696/)

## Related quotes

> [Because that was some mega tense awkwardness, a real 'Hello my name is Ever and I'll be your next stalker' kind of moment...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-noel/because-that-was-some-mega-tense-awkwardness-a-real-hello-my-name-is/)

[Alyson Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-noel/)

> [Style is the dress of thoughts; and let them be ever so just, if your style is homely, coarse, and vulgar, they will appear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/style-is-the-dress-of-thoughts-and-let-them-be-ever-so-just-if-your/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [“Grace and chocolate cake can cover a world of awkwardness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/grace-and-chocolate-cake-can-cover-a-world-of-awkwardness/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“Perhaps anything that he did would have pleased Lucy, but his awkwardness went straight to her heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/perhaps-anything-that-he-did-would-have-pleased-lucy-but-his/)

[E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/)

> [My position in life has always been to be that person in the room who can make the conversation and break down any awkwardness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-narstie/my-position-in-life-has-always-been-to-be-that-person-in-the-room-who/)

[Big Narstie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-narstie/)

> [They meet in the girls' bathroom. The last time they were forced to meet in a place like this, they took separate, isolated stalls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/they-meet-in-the-girls-bathroom-the-last-time-they-were-forced-to/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [I can't flirt, so I'll just seduce you with my awkwardness: xDDD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/i-can-t-flirt-so-i-ll-just-seduce-you-with-my-awkwardness-xddd/)

[Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/)

> [God may forgive sins, he said, but awkwardness has no forgiveness in heaven or earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/god-may-forgive-sins-he-said-but-awkwardness-has-no-forgiveness-in/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I never wish to offend, but I am so foolishly shy, that I often seem negligent, when I am only kept back by my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-never-wish-to-offend-but-i-am-so-foolishly-shy-that-i-often-seem/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [I work from awkwardness. By that I mean I don't like to arrange things. If I stand in front of something, instead of arranging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-arbus/i-work-from-awkwardness-by-that-i-mean-i-don-t-like-to-arrange-things/)

[Diane Arbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-arbus/)

> [“What can one do with one's hands when the camera is interested in other things?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/what-can-one-do-with-one-s-hands-when-the-camera-is-interested-in/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“Awkwardness, thy name is vampire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/awkwardness-thy-name-is-vampire/)

[Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/)

> [To combat social awkwardness, I would just act like I couldn't be bothered - that kind of aloof persona or aloof demeanor. It's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/to-combat-social-awkwardness-i-would-just-act-like-i-couldn-t-be/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [It's awkward doing it with anybody, but it's like Twister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/it-s-awkward-doing-it-with-anybody-but-it-s-like-twister/)

[Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/)

> [Well, my intention is to make work about being uncomfortable. About being in a world that isn't always the world you want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-nakadate/well-my-intention-is-to-make-work-about-being-uncomfortable-about/)

[Laurel Nakadate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-nakadate/)

## More by Lord Chesterfield

> [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [No woman ever yet either reasoned or acted long together consequentially; but some little thing, some love, some resentment, somepresent momentary interest, some supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/no-woman-ever-yet-either-reasoned-or-acted-long-together/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [I am in the pitiable situation of feeling all the force of temptation without having the strength to succumb to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/i-am-in-the-pitiable-situation-of-feeling-all-the-force-of-temptation/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Mankind is made up of inconsistencies, and no man acts invariably up to his predominant character. The wisest man sometimes acts weakly, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/mankind-is-made-up-of-inconsistencies-and-no-man-acts-invariably-up/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Compliments of congratulation are always kindly taken, and cost nothing but pen, ink and paper. I consider them as draughts upon good breeding, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/compliments-of-congratulation-are-always-kindly-taken-and-cost/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [The insolent civility of a proud man is, if possible, more shocking than his rudeness could be; because he shows you, by his manner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/the-insolent-civility-of-a-proud-man-is-if-possible-more-shocking/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [“Secret thoughts and an open countenance will take you safely the world over”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/secret-thoughts-and-an-open-countenance-will-take-you-safely-the/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Virtue and learning, like gold, have their intrinsic value: but if they are not polished, they certainly lose a great deal of their luster:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/virtue-and-learning-like-gold-have-their-intrinsic-value-but-if-they/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Knowledge is a comfortable and necessary retreat and shelter for us in an advanced age; and if we do not plant it while young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/knowledge-is-a-comfortable-and-necessary-retreat-and-shelter-for-us/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Promptness is the soul of business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/promptness-is-the-soul-of-business/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Style is the dress of thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/style-is-the-dress-of-thoughts/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [It is commonly said that ridicule is the best test of truth; for that it will not stick where it is not just. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/it-is-commonly-said-that-ridicule-is-the-best-test-of-truth-for-that/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [There is hardly any place or any company where you may not gain knowledge, if you please; almost everybody knows some one thing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/there-is-hardly-any-place-or-any-company-where-you-may-not-gain/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Assurance and intrepidity, under the white banner of seeming modesty, clear the way for merit, that would otherwise be discouraged by difficulties...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/assurance-and-intrepidity-under-the-white-banner-of-seeming-modesty/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [“Many a man would rather you heard his story than grant his request.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/many-a-man-would-rather-you-heard-his-story-than-grant-his-request/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

[Explore all 378 Lord Chesterfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

## More Awkwardness quotes

> [Well, my intention is to make work about being uncomfortable. About being in a world that isn't always the world you want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-nakadate/well-my-intention-is-to-make-work-about-being-uncomfortable-about/)

[Laurel Nakadate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-nakadate/)

> [It's awkward doing it with anybody, but it's like Twister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/it-s-awkward-doing-it-with-anybody-but-it-s-like-twister/)

[Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/)

> [To combat social awkwardness, I would just act like I couldn't be bothered - that kind of aloof persona or aloof demeanor. It's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/to-combat-social-awkwardness-i-would-just-act-like-i-couldn-t-be/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [“Awkwardness, thy name is vampire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/awkwardness-thy-name-is-vampire/)

[Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/)

> [“What can one do with one's hands when the camera is interested in other things?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/what-can-one-do-with-one-s-hands-when-the-camera-is-interested-in/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [I work from awkwardness. By that I mean I don't like to arrange things. If I stand in front of something, instead of arranging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-arbus/i-work-from-awkwardness-by-that-i-mean-i-don-t-like-to-arrange-things/)

[Diane Arbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-arbus/)

> [I never wish to offend, but I am so foolishly shy, that I often seem negligent, when I am only kept back by my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-never-wish-to-offend-but-i-am-so-foolishly-shy-that-i-often-seem/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [God may forgive sins, he said, but awkwardness has no forgiveness in heaven or earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/god-may-forgive-sins-he-said-but-awkwardness-has-no-forgiveness-in/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I can't flirt, so I'll just seduce you with my awkwardness: xDDD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/i-can-t-flirt-so-i-ll-just-seduce-you-with-my-awkwardness-xddd/)

[Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/)

> [They meet in the girls' bathroom. The last time they were forced to meet in a place like this, they took separate, isolated stalls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/they-meet-in-the-girls-bathroom-the-last-time-they-were-forced-to/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [My position in life has always been to be that person in the room who can make the conversation and break down any awkwardness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-narstie/my-position-in-life-has-always-been-to-be-that-person-in-the-room-who/)

[Big Narstie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-narstie/)

> [“Perhaps anything that he did would have pleased Lucy, but his awkwardness went straight to her heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/perhaps-anything-that-he-did-would-have-pleased-lucy-but-his/)

[E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/)

> [“Grace and chocolate cake can cover a world of awkwardness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/grace-and-chocolate-cake-can-cover-a-world-of-awkwardness/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [The finest manners in the world are awkwardness and fatuity when contrasted with a finer intelligence. They appear but as the fashions of past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-finest-manners-in-the-world-are-awkwardness-and-fatuity-when/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [There's an attraction to emotional clusters or hypocrisies or awkwardness. A desire to expose something or point at something that's already poking out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-chang/there-s-an-attraction-to-emotional-clusters-or-hypocrisies-or/)

[Victoria Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-chang/)

[Browse all 278 Awkwardness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awkwardness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Awkwardness is a more real disadvantage than it is generally thought to be; it often occasions ridicule, it always lessens dignity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lord Chesterfield"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage-than-it-is-generally-thought/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awkwardness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage-than-it-is-generally-thought/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/lord-chesterfield-757_awkwardness_awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage_278435.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/lord-chesterfield-757_awkwardness_awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage_278435.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8fa/lord-chesterfield-757_awkwardness_awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage_278435.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Awkwardness is a more real disadvantage than it is generally thought to be; it often occasions ridicule, it…” — Lord Chesterfield",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Lord Chesterfield",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Awkwardness is a more real disadvantage...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage-than-it-is-generally-thought/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/awkwardness-is-a-more-real-disadvantage-than-it-is-generally-thought/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```